Bitter Criticism Poured on Lee Hae-chan for 'Slip of the Tongue'... Democratic Supreme Council Candidates Say "Scary", "Explosive"

4 Democratic Party Supreme Councilor Candidates Criticize Lee Hae-chan's Personality
"He loses his temper," "Feels like being scolded," "Excessive confidence"
Lee Hae-chan Embarrassed by Repeated Past Gaffes

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 27th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Amid controversies arising in the political sphere due to repeated verbal slips by Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, candidates for the Supreme Council in the Democratic Party's August 29 leadership election have left critical remarks about Lee's personality, describing him as "scary" and "quick-tempered," drawing attention. This came in response to a request from a radio show host to provide evaluations they had not previously expressed about Lee.

On the 28th, four candidates for the Democratic Party Supreme Council appeared on TBS Radio's "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" and spoke about the negative aspects of Lee's personality.

Candidate Noh Woong-rae said, "We should applaud the unprecedented record of 180 seats, but his 'quick temper' is something hard to emulate," adding, "When he loses his temper at any time, the aftermath doesn't end quickly."

Candidate Lee Won-wook described Lee as "very scary," saying, "It's difficult to express oneself honestly in conversation, and even after speaking, I feel like I get scolded for a long time."

Candidate Kim Jong-min pointed out, "Because he has experienced everything, he tends to think most new ideas or challenges won't work," adding, "While this is important from a crisis management perspective, it is difficult to make a leap forward with just this."

Candidate Shin Dong-geun said, "His characteristic sharpness and excessive confidence sometimes seem to invite trouble," and added, "It would be better if he exercised some restraint."

Lee has repeatedly caused controversies in the political arena with verbal missteps, including derogatory remarks about people with disabilities and cursing at reporters.

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is giving a lecture on the theme "The Future of Sejong City and the Era of National Balanced Development" at a special guest lecture commemorating the 13th anniversary of Sejong City's groundbreaking and the 200th Policy Academy, held on the afternoon of the 24th at the Yeomin Room of Sejong City Hall. / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, on January 15, Lee appeared in an interview titled "2020 New Year's Project: Dialogue with Youth" on the Democratic Party's official YouTube channel 'SseumTV,' where he sparked controversy by saying, "People with congenital disabilities have weak willpower."

At the time, he said, "People with congenital disabilities are said to have relatively weaker willpower than those with acquired disabilities," explaining, "Because they have had disabilities since childhood. Those who became disabled due to accidents originally had dreams of living a normal life, so their willpower is stronger, according to psychologists."

Moreover, on the 10th, when a reporter visiting the late Park Won-soon, former mayor of Seoul, asked about sexual harassment allegations against Park, Lee snapped, "Are you talking about that here?" and shouted "XX bastard," sparking a verbal abuse controversy.

On the 24th, during a talk concert held at Sejong City Hall on the topic of balanced national development, Lee stirred controversy by referring to Seoul as a "vulgar city."

On that day, Lee said, "When you pass by the Han River in Seoul by boat, you have to explain 'how much an apartment costs per pyeong' one after another," adding, "In places like the Seine River in France, there are historical sites like Notre-Dame Cathedral, but here, only apartments are built along the Han River, and people talk about the unit price. We shouldn't create such a vulgar city."

Lee's verbal slips drew criticism from opposition parties. Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the Future United Party, wrote on Facebook, "Suddenly, the capital of South Korea has become a shabby city," and called it "a very bad remark that stirs regional sentiments for political gain."

Jeong Jin-seok, a member of the United Party, said, "It's a verbal abuse that stirs regional sentiments," and claimed, "It seems to be a strategy to divert the 2022 presidential election from a judgment on the regime to a referendum on relocating the capital."

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People's Party, also strongly criticized Lee's remarks. He said, "In a word, it is utterly vulgar," and added, "If an opposition figure had said such a thing, every possible means would have been mobilized to bury them."

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party rebutted that the opposition was focusing on specific remarks without considering the overall context of Lee's statements. On the day the "vulgar city" remark controversy arose, the Democratic Party's Public Relations Office issued a statement explaining, "Lee's remarks were intended to make Sejong City a dignified city," and "They expressed regret over the reality where Seoul is evaluated only by housing prices and property values."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.